It's a Team's Life
Living in our “Tiny House/Sleeper”
Sitting in the sleeper with my computer on one side, my cross-stitch in my lap, and my I-Pad playing a Netflix show I think about how comfortable I am. Bob is sitting in the front of the truck with the seat swiveled and leaned back while he is watching a movie. Both of us are using our head sets and the truck is totally silent.
Outside the window, we see other trucks with their shades pulled and every once in a while, a car drives through the parking lot. Our truck is a comfortable temperature with the air conditioning running a small fan moving the air around with the air conditioner reaches the set temperature and shuts down. Squeaky the kitty is asleep on Bob’s lap and we are having a peaceful afternoon.
Parked
Our “Tiny House” works for us and is very comfortable with most of the amenities of home. We have practically the same daily routine we would when we are at our house when not at work. Get up make coffee, read the news on the computer, catch up on happenings, and sip a cup of coffee. Once awake it is time to start on the daily chores of writing blogs, reading blogs, and hearing from my girls as they drive to work. Often the phone starts ringing before 5:30 am as the rest of my friends and family wake up that know I am also awake. The truck is still very quiet though as the ringing of the phone goes to a head set. When talking on the phone the curtains are pulled and our talk in a more muted while talking into the head set. When sitting on the weekends often I can be found at a truck stop table pecking away at my computer as I sip coffee and get my morning work done while Bob quietly sleeps away.
Working
When we are under a load we change between three and four in the morning and between three and four in the afternoon. Bob takes the evening shift and I take the morning shift and after fine tuning this over several years we have found it works for us. We both get a little dark when sleeping and we also get some rest from the noise and traffic of the day. Bob usually wakes me up about ½ hour before I start driving and that gives me time to make two cups of coffee, make two waters, get my pumpkin seeds, almond butter packet, and get dressed. Bob goes back to the sleeper and shuts the curtain and I get the pleasure of watching the sun crest the horizon and both of us are happy in this routine. While listening to books, music, or talking to friends we listen on a head set and once again the inside of the truck is silent, even the truck noise is very quiet.
Cleaning
One of the hardest things about cleaning is when Bob is in the truck. When the weather is bad or hot Bob does not like to work on the outside of the truck and who can blame him. In order for me to clean the truck, he will usually go inside and do our laundry and that gives me room to clean. First is make sure everything is where it belongs, then wipe down counters and table. Then it is time to start in the sleeper by vacuuming the bench cushions, the crevices, and then onto cleaning the floor as I slowly crawl backwards into the cab of the truck. Next I shake the rugs and by that time the floor in the sleeper is dry and I can put the rug down and move the trash can to the back. Then the dash and floor is vacuumed and wiped down. The seats are vacuumed and the cab floor is washed. When that is dry, I start putting the truck back together and this usually takes very little time and the “Tiny House” is spic and span.
Cooking
In one form or another I am able to cook just about anything in the truck that I would cook at home. Over the years, the products that I cook with have been fine-tuned to take up less room and will perform many tasks. All of our trucks have had a microwave in them and this truck has a microwave/convection over so I am finally able to bake easily. For everything else I use my Kitchen Aid Multi Use cooker to make just about everything. I have created several video’s that are on You Tube with recipes of some of what I have cooked in the truck. You Tube Freightliner Team Run Smart
Tiny House Living
When I think back seventeen years to the first “Tiny House/Sleeper” that I started out in to where we are now I think how much room we now have. The first truck I was in the upper bunk was my domain and I spent hours up there when parked as I had all of my “stuff”, sewing projects, nail polish, earrings, and at that time real books to read. I would shimmy on up there and feel as if I was in my own private tree house and I enjoyed my domain. Then we went into a 96” sleeper and it felt like a mansion with all of the room. Talk about luxury I had a SINK and a bigger refrigerator. It was awesome and even though I still had to spread a table cloth over the bed to cook I still had a lot of room. Then we progressed to a 100” sleeper with the din-a-bunk and now I have a table and bench seating. I have advanced past the mansion and once again I enjoy all of the room and comfort we have. It is hard to imagine it getting any better than this and still use our “Tiny House” to make a living.
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.